No kidding

The Guide chatted up with Lina Ashar, author of the new parenting book, Who do you think you are kidding?

Parenting is fraught with dos and dont’s and simplifying the process is educationist Lina Ashar, who has written the book Who do you think you are kidding? Excerpts from a chat with Lina Ashar:

About parenting Rearing a well-balanced child has never been easy but the temptations and dangers that exist in the 21st century have made successful parenting a lot more challenging. It is important to pay heed to a child’s aspiration over parental ambition. Instilling strict discipline is necessary but on the other hand, some amount of indulgence and permissive parenting is equally necessary. Moderation is the key. Being an authoritative-yet-loving parent alone can produce well-adjusted and happy children.

Parenting is changing with time Change has never been as accelerated as it is now. Children today are far more inquisitive, informed and open to many choices. Though these have made the children smart, it has resulted in shorter attention spans and unrealistic expectations in terms of self-body image. Experiences of our parents or grandparents might not suffice since they were parenting for stability and conformity. Today, parenting needs to be customised and personalised.

Information through the book The 21st century is a tough place for a child. The competition is razor-edged, the temptations myriad. This book is insightful for any parent that wishes to get into his child’s brain and is written in the current context of Facebook, video games and rapidly changing technology. I have always been an advocate of creative learning and increased right brain approach to education.

Best part of the book This book is a result of not only me being an educationist, but also a parent of a successful 21-year-old. I applied the neuro and behavioural science techniques in terms of my parenting and they worked. A lot of people, who have read the book, say it has not only helped them in parenting but they themselves are reminiscing and reflecting on their own childhood and some of the sabotaging patterns that exist in their life because of their childhood experiences.

Parenting books galore There is clearly no shortage of tomes offering parenting advice. But there are not many parenting guide books out there that are written by an Indian author and for an Indian audience.The biggest challenge was to keep the book non-preachy and relatable for new age Indian parents. Since I had already practised the brain sciences-led parenting on my son and devised curriculum for children, the task was made simpler.